do they have any defenses, are there any defenses and what are they doing to prepare for the prospect if theyhink that it's real? >> reporter: they have nothing. they have absolutely nothing. the people here have not had anything to begin with to protect themselves from the bullets and the bombs, and most certainly when it comes to chemical warfare, they have no defenses whatsoever, bearing in mind, too, that this is a population that is not just struggling with the violence and the ongoing strikes and artillery raining around them, it is also a population that is barely able to make ends meet. the prices here have skyrocketed astronomically to the point where bread, something that is a basic commodity, has become something of a luxury. people are completely and totally helpless already in the face of the regime's air power and other artillery. they are going to be just as helpless in the face of any sort of chemical warfare if the regime does, in fact, decide to employ that. >> is there any sense among the rebels, the opposition, that perhaps they should be more cautious, take things